Understanding Religion - The Book of Ecclesiastes (an Exoteric Summary)
Ecclesiastes (an Exoteric Summary)
This blog entry is just an "Exoteric" summary of the Book of Ecclesiastes (I may throw in some "Esoteric" ideas)
"Exoteric" means "understood by the general populous" compared to "Esoteric" which means "understood by a small group".
The notes for this blog on the book of Ecclesiastes have been taken from "The Bible Project," you can listen for yourself here: "The Bible Project Overview of Ecclesiastes"
The version of the Bible I'm reading is called "The Companion Bible", here is a 15-page PDF on the Book of Ecclesiastes from the "Companion Bible”: "https://www.companionbiblecondensed.com/OT/Ecclesiastes.pdf"
THE BOOK OF ECCLESIASTES
Twenty-First Book of the Bible / Twenty-First Book of the Old Testament / Fourth book of Poetic-Writings?
Chapters: 12
Verses: 222
Name: The word "Ecclesiastes" comes from a Greek word indicating a person who calls an assembly. In the original Hebrew language, the author of the book identified himself as "qoheleth" which was translated into English as "Preacher". Source: "www.insight.org"
The book opens with: "The words of 'quohelet', Son of David, King of Jerusalem"
In Hebrew this means, "One who gathers people", "a Teacher" (or "Preacher").
Authorship: there are different views on who wrote the Book of Ecclesiastes; suggestions include King Solomon, others suggest another decendent of King David, or another Israelite Teacher using a Solomon-like persona.
Key Point: The Teacher is different than the author
Book Structure
Chapter 1 - Verse 1:1: The Author introduces the Teacher
Chapter 1 - Verse 1:2: Summarizing the Teacher's basic message
Chapter 1 - Verse 1:3 to Chapter 12 - Verse 12:7: The Author wants us to hear everything the Teacher has to say
Chapter 12 - Verse 12:8: Summarizing the Teacher's basic message
Chapter 12 - Verses 12:9 to 12:14: The Author's conclusion and evaluation of the Teacher, help us process what the teacher said and then draw our own conclusion.
Verse 1:2 and Verse 12:8
Hevel, Hevel, everything is "Hevel"
"Hevel" means "vapor" or "smoke".
"Hevel" is used 38-times in this book and used as a metaphor to describe life
- Life is temporary, fleeting
- Life is an enigma or paradox
Smoke appears solid, but if you try to grab onto it, nothing is there.
There is so much beauty and goodness in the world and when you begin to enjoy it, tragedy strikes and it all seems to blow away and we all have a strong sense of Justice.
However, bad things happen to good people.
Life is constantly unpredictable or unstable or in the Teacher's words, chasing after "Hevel".
The Author's Basic Goal
All the ways we find meaning and purpose in our lives apart from God; the Teacher deconstructs all of these ways.
For most of our lives we invest in things that have no meaning, for example: Wealth, Pleasure, Status. Career.
The Opening and Closing Poems
Opening (Verses 1:3 to 1:11): Time
No matter what we develop or how we try to change the world, the world always remains the same. The Earth was here long before us and will remain the same long after us.
We develop technology and build nations that rise and fall, but the Mountains will always be there, the Sun will always rise and set, the oceans will always break on the beaches.
No one will remember anything you did one hundred years from now.
Closing (Verses 11:7 to 12:7): Death
Throughout the book the Teacher cannot stop talking about death.
Death is the great equalizer.
Death devours the wise, the fool, the rich, the poor; we are all going to die.
The Body of the Book
The Teacher considers all the activities we invest our lives in to attempt to give it meaning like wealth, career, social status, pleasure
Career = stress and anxiety, by the time you earn wealth you'll be to old to enjoyr it. By the time you pass on and leave it behind for someone else, they may not care for it.
Pleasure = enjoy your vacation, but Monday always comes.
Everything is "Hevel".
Acknowledging the ideas from Proverbs
Living with Wisdom and in Fear of the Lord is also "Hevel", because they don't guarantee a good life
Good people die tragically and Bad people live long and profitable.
This is "Enigma" (mysterious, puzzling, difficult to understand)
How do you live life in the midst of Hevel?
Accept that all of life is out of your control.
"The Gift of God" = Friendship, Family, a Good Meal, a Sunny Day. These things you can't control and you aren't guaranteed these things.
Enjoy your life as you experience it.
The Author's Conclusion
The Teacher's words are compared to a Shepherd with a staff with a goad on the end of it. The goad might hurt when it touches you, but the object of the poke is to get you to move in the right direction towards greater wisdom.
The Author warns: You can take the Teacher's words too far and spend your life buried in books trying to answer life's puzzle. "Of the making of books there is no end".
The Author's Conclusion: Fear God and keep his commands - this is the whole duty of a human; God will bring every deed into Judgment. Every hidden thing, whether good or evil.
The purpose is the Teacher is challenging your falsehood(s). "Time" and "Death" make life completely out of your control, but the hope of God's Judgment will clear away all of the "hevel" and bring true Justice to our world.
This should fuel a life of honesty and integrity before God despite being puzzled by life's mysteries.
Esoteric Ideas
The Trivium method of learning?
The structure of the book into three basic sections
Section I "The Input"? The introduction is like the "input" as the author and the character of the Teacher feed information to the reader. The gathering of data.
Section II: "Processing"? Digesting the information that the Author and the character of the Teacher are providing. The logic and understanding. The Why
Section III: "The Output"? Is rhetoric and greater wisdom that the Teacher is goading you towards.
The Trivium method of learning is a system or technique that guides us to higher spiritual wisdom.
Cosmic, Spiritual, Universal Laws ("Natural Law"?)
Regardless of Life's mysteries and puzzling situations. The reminder that every deed is Judged by the Creator.
Cosmic Laws, Spiritual Laws, Universal Laws = Natural Law are always in effect no matter how we live our lives and creation will judge us on our behavior.
Justice is brought to the world by living a moral life and in harmony with God's Laws through right behavior, through right action. (Natural Law?).